Peter Munro

WHERE do reality TV stars go to die? Yul Kwon, winner of the umpteenth season of Survivor, has found a life of sorts in the fetid corpse of bad documentaries. Kwon reckons things ain't all that bad in the US of A, despite evidence to the contrary. ''Lean manufacturing'' at car factories and technology companies has apparently bred such ''relentless innovation'' as aircraft carriers and dog-walking robots. Kwon laughs at the silly robots welding and painting on the factory floor, not realising they are secretly plotting his demise. The US's 5 million long-term unemployed must be similarly chuffed at losing their jobs for the sake of such ''hyper-efficiency''. I'm all for optimism but Kwon is like Pollyanna on happy pills. Special mention must go to the helicopter cameraman for capturing Kwon's expansive hand gestures from a great height. Was I the only viewer wishing the cameraman might take a pot shot at his irritating host? One less reality TV star: consider it a strike for hyper-efficiency.

Walkley Awards, SBS One, 9.40pm

AS GLITTERING awards ceremonies go, journalism's night of nights is closer to the Oak Flats chook raffle than the Oscars. Watching a hack of journalists take the stage in ill-fitting dinner suits or dresses is about as exciting as fungus. (''Oh, but he would say that, having never won a Walkley,'' you say. Hey, who invited you into my TV review? Security!) But we would be poorer without the work of those professionals who dig the dirt, uncover the corruption and tell the tales of the people who inform the best and worst of this nation. Expect to see worthy winners and the ill-advised mixing of headache medication and alcohol.

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The Human Zoo: Science's Dirty Secret, SBS Two, 7.30pm

IN THE days before cat videos on YouTube, bored Westerners looked elsewhere for their entertainment. It was said a single African pygmy could bring down a bull elephant (I believe the feat involved a ladder and Rohypnol), but wealthy Westerners in the US, Britain and France seemed content simply watching the ''savages'' turn somersaults for their amusement. Footage from the 19th-century of pygmies being measured and prodded like exotic animals at ''ethnic shows'' is fascinating and nauseating in equal measure. Unfortunately, there's not enough good footage to see out the hour. The program drifts towards a rambling debate about racism and loses this viewer's interest along the way.